TITLE:
Microbial Load (Bacteria, Coliform and Mould Count/Flora) of Some Common Hot Smoked Freshwater Fish Species Using Different Packaging Materials
AUTHORS:
Olusegun Ayodele Oyelese, Jacob Oyeleye Oyedokun
KEYWORDS:
Bacteria; Coliform; Mould Count/Flora; Freshwater Fish Species; Packaging Material
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.4 No.12,
November
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: Three different packaging
materials of (37 cm × 25 cm) size (Sealed Transparent Polythene
Bag (STPB) Sealed Paper Bag (SPB) (Brown envelope), Open Mouth Polythene Bag
(OMPB) (Black incolour)) were used for Oreochromisniloticus (O), Clariasgariepinus (C) and Mormyrusrume (M). Twenty fish samples
per species (averaging 250 gm) were hot smoked dried whole for 36 hours at an average temperature of 100?C. Packaged hot at the rate of
6 fishes per package for each species (three packs for each packaging
treatment i.e. 18 pieces were packed while the
remaining 2 pieces were used for initial bacteria load and microbial load). Microbial load (Total Viable Count (TVC),
Total Coliform Count (TCC) and Total Fungi Count (TFC)) for the fresh fish was initial hot smoked and finally at the
end of 12 weeks was
monitored. The TVC (bacterial load) of O. niloticus dropped from (10.6 - 8.4) × 104 (fresh state-hot
smoked) and M. rume (9.8 - 7.0) × 104, while C. gariepinus slightly increased from (12.4 - 12.6) × 104. After hot smoking, highest TVC of 8.6 × 104 (OMPBC), 8.3 × 104 (SPBC) and 8.2 × 104 (STPBC) were recorded in C. gariepinus among the 9 packag- ing at 12 weeks. However highest
tendency for heavy TVC is in all OMPB with highest bacteria load in the OMPBC
(8.6 × 104), 7.6 × 104 (OMPBO) and 6.6 × 104 (OMPBM). After 12 weeks
highest ranged TFC of (0.6 - 0.7) × 104 was recorded in M. rume as against 0.2 × 104 recorded in the initial
smoked for all. TCC was highest in C. gariepinus (4.0 - 4.3) × 104. Packaging did not
limit the existence of micro-organisms. Six bacteria species (Micrococcus (acidiophilus, luteus), Bacillus (subtilis, cereus, aureus), Staphylococcus
aureus, Streptococcus lactis, Proteus (vulgaricus, morganii), Pseudomonas
aureginosa) and three fungi species (Aspergillus (niger, tamari), Rhizopusnigricans, fusariumoxysporum) were represented in all the packages. On the average five bacteria and
two fungi species were represented, excepting for OMPBM and OMPBO with six
bacteria species.